Adams County, CO Ordinances (2026)

Open fires, including campfires, are unlawful across every Adams County park, trail and open space area under Resolution 2022-649. Charcoal fires are allowed only in provided picnic…

Small backyard recreational fires are allowed when kept under 3 ft by 2 ft and 25 feet from anything flammable, but are completely prohibited during Sheriff-ordered fire restrictions…

Adams County adopted the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code by Ordinance No. 14, effective May 15, 2026, declaring wildland-urban interface hazard areas across the unincorporated…

Adams County bans possessing, manufacturing, storing, selling, handling or using fireworks anywhere in the unincorporated area under the adopted International Fire Code. The ban does…

Unincorporated Adams County allows a short-term rental only under a Short-Term Rental License from the Community & Economic Development Department, applied for at least thirty (30)…

Adams County defines livestock as cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses, mules and donkeys used in farm or ranch production. Livestock is excluded from the pet code and is instead…

Neglecting, abandoning or mistreating animals is unlawful in Adams County under its Animal Control Code and Colorado's cruelty statute. Officers may impound neglected animals, and…

Adams County's Animal Control Code covers only "pet animals" kept for companionship and excludes wildlife, feral cats, and livestock. Keeping wild or exotic animals is governed mainly…

Adams County does not require cat licensing, but every cat must be vaccinated against rabies. Off the owner's property, a cat must wear its current rabies tag, and cats causing damage…

Unincorporated Adams County has no breed-specific ban. Its Animal Control Code regulates dogs by documented behavior instead: Section 5-6 makes it unlawful to own, harbor, keep, or…

Intentionally feeding, or trying to feed, any wildlife in an Adams County park, trail or open space area is unlawful without the county's written permission under Resolution 2022-649's…

Unincorporated Adams County makes it unlawful for an owner or custodian to let any animal run, go or be at large on a street, public place, or another person's property without written…

A carport is an accessory structure in unincorporated Adams County and must meet the same setback and 35-foot height limits as other accessory buildings. On a manufactured-home lot…

Unincorporated Adams County permits one ADU per single-family home in any zone district. Minimum 500 sq ft; detached units cap at 1,500 sq ft, up to 25 ft tall. A building permit is…

A single manufactured or tiny dwelling may serve as a single-family home on an individual lot in any residential zone that allows single-family homes, but it must be no more than 5…

Unincorporated Adams County caps how many vehicles you may store outdoors by lot size: two total on lots under one acre, or two per acre up to a maximum of five on lots of one acre or…

In unincorporated Adams County, inoperable or unlicensed vehicles may not be stored or parked outdoors, and never on a public right-of-way for any period. Under Colorado law, a vehicle…

In unincorporated Adams County, RVs, boats, boat trailers, campers, fifth-wheels and motor homes may be stored on residential lots but must sit on an approved asphalt or concrete…

In residential zone districts of unincorporated Adams County, all storage of vehicles must sit on an approved hard surface of asphalt or concrete, and no parking is allowed in the back…

Adams County's Designated Residential Parking Districts Ordinance lets the Community Safety and Well-Being Department restrict nonresident on-street parking once 60 percent of a…

In unincorporated Adams County, the maximum height of fencing, walls, and screening is 96 inches (8 feet). Screen fences on residentially used property are capped at 42 inches in the…

In unincorporated Adams County, a residential fence up to 7 feet tall does not need a building permit at all, but the Building Code still requires a standard permit for anything taller…

Adams County permits barbed wire fencing and allows up to four strands of barbed wire in the top 18 inches of a fence. External boundary electric fences require a Conditional Use…

In unincorporated Adams County, any retaining wall over 4 feet high must be designed by a professional engineer as a condition of the building permit. Walls over 36 inches may be…

Adams County does not set a separate 'shared fence' cost-sharing rule; fences on the property line are a civil matter between neighbors. The county does prohibit any fence that…

In unincorporated Adams County, dwellings in the R-1-C and R-2 districts are capped at 25 feet, and accessory structures at 16 feet. Agricultural (A-1/A-2) dwellings may reach 35 feet…

Instead of a flat percentage cap, Adams County limits accessory building coverage: 900 square feet in the R-1-C district (single-family), 450 square feet per unit in R-2, and 80 square…

In the R-1-C residential district of unincorporated Adams County, principal structures need a 20-foot front setback, 17/5-foot side setbacks, and a 15-foot rear setback. Agricultural…

There is no single county watering rule; limits are set by your water provider. In the South Adams County Water and Sanitation District (Commerce City and vicinity), irrigation is…

Unincorporated Adams County caps weeds and uncultivated plant growth at 6 inches under Section 302.4 of its Property Maintenance Code, adopted through Ordinance No. 12. Noxious weeds…

Ordinance No. 17 requires every unincorporated Adams County trash hauler to run leak-proof, tarped vehicles labeled with the company name and phone number, carry at least $150,000 per…

Depositing trash on any public or private property in Colorado is illegal littering under CRS 18-4-511, carrying a mandatory fine of $20-$500 for a first offense. In unincorporated…

In unincorporated Adams County, waste containers may be set in the front-yard area or at the street only for 24 hours to allow pickup, and every container must be covered. Store bins…

Adams County does not run its own yard waste collection program. Under Ordinance No. 17, licensed Solid Waste Haulers may include grass clippings, branches, leaves and shrub trimmings…

Adams County requires every licensed Solid Waste Hauler serving unincorporated residents, multi-family buildings and businesses to offer curbside recycling of at least the county's…

Every solid waste hauler licensed to work in unincorporated Adams County must collect trash and offer curbside recycling at least once a month under Ordinance No. 17. The county sets…

There is no separate vacant-lot ordinance in unincorporated Adams County, but the same blight, weed and rubbish rules apply. Owners must keep lots free of trash, junk and overgrown…

Adams County Ordinance No. 3 makes it unlawful to store rubbish, junk, weeds, brush or inoperable vehicles outside on any unincorporated property. Public Works can order removal within…

Adams County regulates political signs content-neutrally as temporary signs. On residential lots one temporary sign up to 32 sq ft may be displayed for up to 14 consecutive days, and…

Garage-sale signs fall under Adams County's content-neutral temporary sign rule: up to 32 sq ft, on private property, for no more than 14 consecutive days (twice per year per lot)…

Exterior lighting in unincorporated Adams County must be arranged and positioned so no direct light or reflection creates a nuisance or hazard on any adjacent property or right-of-way…

Adams County has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but its operational standards require exterior lighting to be shielded, low-level, indirect and diffused, and no taller than 20 feet…

Adams County parks, trails, and open spaces are open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., except for authorized and permitted events. Overnight camping is prohibited anywhere in the county's parks…

Unincorporated Adams County makes it a petty offense for a dog to bark, howl, yelp, or whine loud enough to be heard off the owner's premises for more than 20 consecutive minutes…

Adams County treats any amplified sound in its parks, trails, and open-space areas as an automatic "general nuisance" under Rule 12(a), unless the sound is part of a leased event at…

Since March 1, 2026, no one may own, operate, or let a property host a massage facility in unincorporated Adams County without a county license under Ordinance No. 18. Every owner…

Adams County's Nude Entertainment Ordinance bars anyone under 21 from nude entertainment establishments in the unincorporated county, limits nude entertainment to 4 p.m. to midnight…

Adams County requires every pawnbroker to log each contract-for-purchase or purchase transaction in a numerical register with the customer's ID, fingerprint and item description…

Adams County's MS4 illicit discharge ordinance bans putting anything but rainwater into the county's storm drains, ditches and detention ponds in the unincorporated area. Public Works…

Construction sites in unincorporated Adams County must control erosion and sediment with Best Management Practices under the county's illicit discharge ordinance, folded into an…

Unincorporated Adams County regulates construction in flood hazard areas through Section 1612.3 of its Building Code, which adopts FEMA's Flood Insurance Study and accompanying maps by…

Adams County's wildfire code requires a noncombustible ring of hard-surface materials, such as rock, gravel, sand, concrete, bare earth or pavers, in the Immediate Zone around any new…

Adams County bans consuming marijuana or marijuana by-product in any public place within its parks, trails, and open-space areas countywide, including Riverdale Regional Park, no…

Adams County does not ban skateboarding on its park and trail system, but Rule 14(c) of the POSCA regulations makes it unlawful to operate a skateboard, bicycle, scooter, or other…

Urinating in public or leaving human excrement on the land or in the waters of any Adams County park, trail or open space area is unlawful under Rule 10(b) of Resolution 2022-649. Park…

Adults may possess and drink alcohol in Adams County parks, trails and open space areas under Resolution 2022-649's Rule 11, but anyone under 21 may not possess or consume alcohol or…

Adams County bars anyone under 18 from loitering on streets, sidewalks, parking lots, parks or yards, public or private, without permission of the owner or occupant, unless with a…

Any group of 25 or more people gathering at an Adams County park, trail, or open-space area must obtain a special use permit under Rule 19, submitting the dates, times, and specific…

Adams County requires a POSCA Department Director permit before anyone can take off or land a drone on county park, trail, or open-space land under Rule 20(a), since the FAA otherwise…

The one drone launch site Adams County allows without a permit, the Riverdale Regional Park drop-in gravel lot, shuts down whenever that ground hosts a permitted special event, a…

Adams County bans overnight camping, and overnight vehicle, trailer or camper parking for camping purposes, in every county park, trail and open space area. Adams County Park Rangers…

Bicycles, including e-bikes and unicycles, may only be ridden on trails specifically designated for that use within Adams County parks, trails and open space areas, and at Riverdale…

Unincorporated Adams County adopts the 2023 National Electrical Code by reference under Ordinance No. 12, effective July 1, 2026, and requires a building permit before electrical…

Unincorporated Adams County adopted the 2024 International Plumbing Code by reference through Ordinance No. 12, effective July 1, 2026, so plumbing work needs a permit under that…

Unincorporated Adams County adopted the 2024 International Building Code by reference through Ordinance No. 12, effective July 1, 2026, so any construction, alteration, repair or…

Adams County's fire code bars gas or charcoal grills and other open-flame cooking devices from balconies, under overhangs, or within 10 feet of any structure, unless the building is…

Unincorporated Adams County requires pools and spas to be built under the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, adopted by reference through Ordinance No. 12 and administered…

Unincorporated Adams County requires a barrier restricting entry to any pool or spa area under Section 305.1 of the county's Swimming Pool and Spa Code. A pool or spa with a powered or…

Unincorporated Adams County limits food and merchandise vending stands to sidewalks at least 6 feet wide, bans them within 24 feet of any crosswalk or bus stop, and caps stand size at…

Anyone selling food, beverages or merchandise from a stand or vehicle on an unincorporated Adams County street or sidewalk must first obtain a vendor's license from the Director of…

Adams County bars vending from sidewalks and vehicles along Principal Arterial streets classified in the county's Comprehensive Plan, and prohibits vending anywhere within 100 feet of…

Adams County's Marijuana Hospitality Business ordinance bars a licensed hospitality or retail-and-sales cannabis business from sitting within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare or…

Licensed marijuana hospitality and retail-and-sales businesses may operate only in unincorporated Adams County's industrial zone districts or its Commercial-3, Commercial-4 and…